I just updated this packet and have included a second slider option as well as some additional worksheets.

Simply choose which graphics you like best, then run the mitten and slider patterns off on white paper.

Using construction paper or card stock adds to the sturdiness.

Children trim their mitten, then color, cut and glue their slider together.

I pre-cut the mitten slits using an Exacto knife, so that children can easily insert their “storytelling strip”.

Takes me just a few minutes to slit a class set. (Try to say that tongue twister 3 times!)

As children pull on the end of their “slider” the various pictures go through the mitten “window”, so that students can take turns retelling the story to a partner, then take their mitten home to share with their family, once again practicing the lesson.

I introduce the lesson by reading the story, then share my sample with the children.

We retell the tale together, using the picture prompts on the slider. Pausing before I show the graphic, I ask children "what comes next?"

We've had a quick & fun review; my students now know what’s expected of them, and are excited to transition to making a “mitten story slider” of their own.

So that you can quickly and easily make an example to share, I’ve included full-color patterns for teachers, as well as a black & white templates for students.

The coloring, cutting and assembling a storytelling slider provides great fine motor practice, which will help strengthen children's finger muscles.

Sliders are an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.I’ve also included a “Let’s sequence the story” activity for this, where students color and trim the "picture tiles" then glue them in the correct order on their worksheet.

There’s a larger, full-color option, so you can do this as a fun whole-group activity with little ones. This can be done during, or after you read the story.

There’s also a “Here’s What Happened…” writing prompt worksheet, as another way to check comprehension, plus practice sequential writing; hopefully using a variety of ordinal numbers and other transitions.

Use the colorful template to do this as a whole group activity with younger kiddos.

There are 2 outside slider options to choose from, which children color & trim.

Students color the story elements on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together. (Both options use the same “slider strip”).

As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their slider home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

I introduce the lesson by reading "The Very Busy Spider", then share my completed "slider craftivity” with my students.

After I read the story, we retell the tale together, using the picture prompts.

Have children guess which story element they think comes next before you pull the picture through the “window”.

My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a story slider of their own.

Storytelling sliders are also an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.

Besides the "Here's What Happened..." worksheet explained previously, the "spider slider" and "wheel" options also include 2,“Let's sequence the story”worksheets, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on the blank worksheet.

I've also included a larger, colorful one to use during and/or after you've read the story.

My students absolutely love this "game". As you can see by the photographs, the graphics for the slider and the ones for the wheel are different.

I purchased more clip art from two different artists, to add variety to your lessons, as teachers have told me that they've purchased both, using one as an independent center and the other for a whole group activity.

Finally, the storytelling wheel is yet another quick, easy & fun way for students to practice the “retelling & sequencing” a story standards.

Since there are quite a few characters and parts to this tale, I designed a “beginning of the story” wheel, with 6 sections; plus another 6-part wheel, to tell the end of the story.

This way, the 12 graphics are a nice size for coloring.

When everyone is done, practice retelling by using the manipulative. Everyone starts by turning their wheel so that the busy spider on the fence appears in the “pie-slice window”, then call on a child to begin the story,

Continue to turn the wheel, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story, explaining the “picture prompt”.

After you've explained the picture with the pig, take the first wheel out by unfastening the brass brad, then insert the "end of the story" wheel to complete retelling "The Very Busy Spider."

There are 3 "cover" options for this craft which feature: Jack climbing the beanstalk, the castle, as well as the giant.

As with the other crafts, choose your favorite, or run off the variety and give children a choice.

Use card stock, or white construction paper for a sturdier and less flimsy craft.

I call these "sliders" because a paper strip "slides" through two slits, revealing various "story elements".

Students retell the fairy tale, by pulling the paper strip through the "window".

Today's featured FREEBIE is a little something for your Open House or "Meet the Teacher" back to school event, which is also appreciated during "parent-teacher" conferences too.

I put a basket of peppermints on a table for visitors. (Use soft mints for younger grades).

Here's the poster I print, laminate & tuck by my basket of candy: "Families Are Worth A Mint! Thank you for your involve-mint and commit-mint to your child's education Here is a sweet treat for your enjoy-mint!"

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

It's wonderfully overcast today, with a nice summer breeze...perfect for doing a bit of gardening.

There are 2 booklet options to choose from: one featuring a troll, the other a goat.

The troll pages are large circles with bigger graphics, while the goat pages come two on a one-page pattern. The graphics are also a nice size.

Pick your favorite, or give students a choice.

There are full color patterns so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share, plus black & white templates, so students can make their own.

Simply run the troll and goat patterns off on construction paper or card stock. Students color & trim. These become the sturdy “base” of their booklet.

Children then color, cut & collate the pages into a little book, which is then attached to the base.

I purposely did not number the pages, so you can assess comprehension & their ability to sequence correctly.

You can also easily omit pages, to make a shorter booklet for little ones, so they can simply tell the "beginning-middle & end" of the story.

For some writing practice, I thought it would be fun for students, to add a caption inside a speech bubble, that’s above a “color me” picture of the troll falling off the bridge or being swept away in the river.

Completed worksheets make a cute bulletin board.

Next up is the slider. There are 3 outside slider options to choose from, which children color & trim.

Two options are square for easy-peasy, straight-edge cutting, while the other is a “cut me out” troll, for those with more scissor experience.

Students color the story elements on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together. (All 3 options use the same “slider strip”).

As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their troll/goat home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

So that you can quickly, and easily make an example, I’ve included a full-color slider pattern.

After I read the story, we retell the tale together, using the picture prompts. Have children guess which story element they think comes next before you pull the picture through the “window”.

My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a story slider of their own.

Finally, the storytelling wheel is yet another quick, easy & fun way for students to practice the “retelling & sequencing” a story standards.

There are 2 wheel options to choose from: one featuring a troll, the other, the 3 billy goats. The "pie wheel" that's underneath is the same. I give my students a choice.

When everyone is done, practice retelling by using the manipulative. Everyone starts by turning their wheel so that the 3 goats appear in the “pie-slice window”, then call on a child to begin the story,

Continue to turn the wheel, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story, explaining the “picture prompt”. You can also ask kiddos if this is the beginning-middle-or end of the tale.

To further check comprehension, I’ve included a “color, cut & glue” worksheet in all 3 packets.

Same format, but with different clip art that matches that particular craftivity. There's a simple version for younger kiddos, as well as a more challenging option, where the "picture tiles" are mixed up.

As another way to assess comprehension, as well as include some writingpractice, there’s also a variety of “Here’s What Happened…”worksheets, which can be done as a whole group with younger children.

When everyone is done with their slider, wheel or flip booklet, have children pick a partner and take turns telling the story, “3 Billy Goats Gruff” to each other. We sometimes do this sort of thing with our older reading buddies.

Afterwards, encourage students to share their goat/troll craft with their parents, once again retelling the story.

Because my little peanuts are absolutely exhausted, at the end of our day, I like to show some sort of very short educational video.

This is a "winding down" (calming time) for us, which not only helps my students, but gives me a few minutes to get things ready for dismissal.

I spend quite a bit of time seaching YouTube, so I've also included 3 of my favorite "Billy Goats Gruff" video links in all three packets.

I sincerely hope you'll give one of these crafts a try. If your students are like mine, they will really enjoy sequencing and retelling with a "paper manipulative".

Fun for your kiddos and easy-peasy for you too, as it’s simply “Print & Go”.

Simply run the mouse pattern off on construction paper or card stock. Students color & trim. This becomes the sturdy “base” of their booklet.

Students color, cut & collate the pages into a little book, which is then glued to the base.

I purposely did not number the pages, so you can assess comprehension & ability to sequence correctly.

I've included black & white patterns, as well as colorful ones, so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share.

Because children absolutely love giving their opinion, the last page allows them a chance to rate the story with a thumbs up or down, as well as coloring in a star ranking.

To further check comprehension, I’ve included a “color, cut & glue” worksheet too.

As another way to assess comprehension, as well as include some writingpractice, there’s also a “Here’s What Happened…”worksheet, which can be done as a whole group with younger children.

When everyone is done, have children pick a partner and take turns telling the story, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” to each other. We sometimes do this sort of thing with our older reading buddies.

Afterwards, encourage students to share their mouse craft with their parents, once again retelling the story.

Next up is the slider. There are several mouse options. I’ve included a large, full-page pattern for teachers, as well as a smaller, 2-on-a-page pattern for your students.

Children color the story elements on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together.

As they pull on the end of the “slider” the various pictures go through the cookie “window”, so that children can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their mouse home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

Storytelling sliders are also an easy & interesting way to assess comprehension.

I’ve included a “sequence the story” slider activity for this, where students color and trim the picture “windows” then glue them in the correct order on the blank slider strip.

You also have the option to do the regular slider with the story graphics in the appropriate order, then assess comprehension afterwards, using the “Sequence the Story” worksheet.

I introduce the lesson by reading "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie", then share my completed "slider craftivity” with my students.

So that you can quickly, and easily make an example, I’ve included a full-color slider pattern.

After I read the story, we retell the tale together, using the picture prompts on my cookie mouse. Have children guess which story element they think comes next before you pull the picture through the “window”.

My students now know what’s expected of them, and are very excited to transition to making a Cookie Mouse story slider of their own.

As with the flip booklet, this packet also includes a "Here's What Happened..." worksheet, in black & white, as well as color, so that you can do this as a whole group discussion with little ones.

So that you can differentiate your lessons, I’ve included a simple flip booklet with just 4 pages for little ones, as well as pattern pages for a super-cool schoolhouse, where the pages are cut down the middle, so the "double-doors" of the school house flip open on both sides.

I purposely did not number the pages, so you can check comprehension.

This also allows you to choose less pages for preschool students, who can easily sort beginning-middle-& end, then retell the story with a limited number of “picture prompts”.

Simply run the schoolhouse pattern off on construction paper or card stock. Students color & trim.

Open the doors to the schoolhouse to retell the story.

Students color, cut & collate the pages into a little booklet, which is then glued to the base of the schoolhouse.

For writing practice, I’ve also included several prompt options that are written on the schoolhouse base patterns. Simply choose which is most appropriate for your kiddos, or you could give them a choice.

Students color the story elements on the “slider strip” then cut and glue it together.

With just six, nice-sized graphics, this is easy peasy for even preschool children, making it perfect for explaining the beginning-middle & end of a story too.

As children pull on the end of the “slider-strip” the various pictures go through the “window” on the “door” of the schoolhouse, so that students can take turns retelling the story to a partner or reading buddy, then take their slider home to share with their family, once again practicing these standards.

All three packets include black & white patterns, as well as colorful ones, so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share.

As another way to assess comprehension, as well as include more writing practice, I’ve also included a “Here’s What Happened…” worksheet, which can be done independently, or as a whole group with younger children. This worksheet is included in all three packets as well.

No matter if you're flippng & flapping, or turning & learning, or simply sliding along, I hope you have an absolute blast with your new students.

Today's featured FREEBIE is also a little something for back to school.

I found an "author unknown" quote in various place on the internet, and decided to revamp & expand it, making this "poster poem" appropriate for a teacher to share with their students.

You can hang it up as a poster, or tuck it in your "Welcome Packet". Just a little something fun for "Meet & Greet the Teacher" night too.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

As we head into the weekend we will be topping 90 degrees. I'm so grateful that we have air conditioning in our home.

Despite the heat, I may venture out to walk my poodle pup and water the flowers. Wishing you a relaxing and super-fun summer & jitter-free school year.

Oh and if you too love "First Day Jitters" be sure and check out Danneberg's "Last Day Blues" it too is a sweet story that proves teachers & students have a lot more in common that they think.

There are 5 “print & go” cover options to choose from. Pick your favorite, or give students a choice.

There are full color patterns to use for an independent center, as well as a sample to share, plus a black & white pattern, so students can make their own.

When everyone is done, practice retelling “The Polar Express" using the manipulative. Everyone starts by turning their wheel so that the boy in his pajamas appears in the “pie-slice window”, then call on a child to begin the story,

Continue to turn the wheel, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story, explaining the “picture prompt”.

For writing practice, and to assess & check comprehension, and reinforce the “sequencing a story” standard, I’ve also included a “Here’s What Happened”writing prompt worksheet.

Besides BW, there’s a full color template so you can quickly & easily make an example to share, or do as a whole group activity with little ones.

I’ve also included a circular “Polar Express”puzzle. Use the colorful patterns for an independent center, and the black & white version so students can make their own puzzle to take home.

The base, which students place the puzzle pieces on, includes ordinal numbers so you can practice that standard as well.

I chose the Christmasy colors of red & green, but you could print on a variety of colors and give children a choice.

Students color, cut & sequence the “window pages” and then glue them to their train. Gluing a child’s school photo peeking out the Engine’s window, makes them the conductor, and adds to the “awww” keepsake factor.

Another way for students to sequence the story, is with the “Let’s Sequence The Polar Express”worksheet.

Children color, cut and glue the “picture tiles” in the correct order on the train car “windows”.

I’ve included a full-color version for teachers. You can do this as a whole group with little ones, as well as make up some independent, reading center activities.

To assess and check comprehension, I’ve included a “Here’s What Happened”worksheet for older students.

Today's featured FREEBIE is a TICKET to ride "The Polar Express" in your classroom.

Besides the colorful ticket, I've also included a BW option, but I think it's more fun for children if they get a lovely and vibrantly colored ticket.

Also in the packet, is an "I Believe!"gift tag to attach to a Christmas jingle bell.

Sign your name on the back after the "A Merry Christmas Remembrance From", add a date, then run off.

A room helper can cut the tags out, fold them in half and glue the front and back together.

Punch a hole at the top, insert a piece of ribbon or yarn (curling ribbon is inexpensive & adds extra pizzazz) then tie on a bell. The entire thing can be hung on a tree. Pass out to your kiddos as they leave for vacation.

Well that's it for now. Thanks for breezing in.

As usual I'm off and running today. This Santa's elf has much to accomplish.

Wishing you a very merry day filled with the wonder of Christmas.

"The true magic of Christmas, is not in the presents, but in His Presence." -Unknown

If you do a "Christmas Around the World" ed-venture, this craftivity makes a nice addition to your travels.

The stable is the base of the booklet and is printed on card stock to make it sturdy.

Once the booklet is complete, it is free standing and makes a cute decoration.

The “doors” of the stable open, to reveal graphics of the major events that take place; from Mary & Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem to the birth of Jesus.

Besides black & white patterns for students to color, cut & glue, I’ve also included colorful templates so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share.

There are several page options as well.

I’ve provided pages with text for beginning readers, as well as pages without words for younger kiddos.

You can also use these pages for older students, so they can write about what is happening and explain the graphic, or find a matching Bible verse to record on the appropriate pages.

To use for extra writing practice, I’ve also included a completely blank page.

On the back of the stable, students can write “Jesus loves me.” or “Jesus is the reason for the season.”

There are add-on graphics included as well: 4 star patterns for children to choose from, plus a cow & donkey they can glue to the back of the last, opened pages, so that when the doors are completely open, the animals flank the manger.

The "looking down" photo on the right, shows how the pages support the stable.

When everyone is done, read the booklet together as a whole group, calling on students to explain the various events taking place. Encourage children to sequence & retell the story of Christ’s birth to their families, as they share their nativity booklet at home.

Since my storytelling wheels have been so popular, I thought it would be fun to design one for the Nativity.

Great for parochial schools, Sunday school, Christmas Around the World activities, or simply for your own child.

Storytelling wheels are a quick, easy & fun way for students to practice the “retelling & sequencing” a story standards.

There are 3, “print & go” cover options to choose from. Pick your favorite, or give students a choice.

There are full color patterns to use for an independent center, as well as a sample to share, plus a black & white pattern, so students can make their own.

After students have completed their wheel, practice retelling the nativity story using the manipulative.

Everyone starts by turning their wheel so that Mary & Joseph, who are traveling to Bethlehem, appear in the “pie-slice window”.

Call on a child to begin the story. Continue to turn the wheel, calling on different students to tell you that portion of the story, explaining the “picture prompt”.

Afterwards, have students pick a partner and take turns sharing their nativity wheel with each other. Sometimes we do this with our older reading buddies. This is a quick, easy & fun way to check comprehension too.

For more sequencing & retelling practice, I've also included a nativity puzzle . There are two "base" options, which will help practice ordinal numbers as well as reading.

For writing practice, have students complete the “Here’s What Happened” writing prompt worksheet, then color it.

There’s a full color template so you can quickly & easily make an example to share, or do as a whole group activity with little ones.

This “flip-the-flap” storytelling craft, is a super-fun way to practice the sequencing & retelling a story standards, using the popular tale of the “Gingerbread Man”

Simply run the fox pattern off on orange or brown construction paper. Students trim & add a few highlights with crayons.

The “head” of the fox, is the “cover” of the booklet that flips up to reveal 6 oval pages, which feature graphics that help students recall the story, so they can retell the tale.

I purposely did not number the pages, so you can check comprehension, when students sequence the story.

Children color, cut & collate the oval-shaped pages into a little booklet, which is then glued to the fox’s face, making it a “flip-the-flap” activity.

Besides the black & white patterns, I’ve also included colorful ones, so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share.

Since there are two versions of the fairy tale, I’ve also included page options with both endings of the story, as well as a gingerbread man pattern, to use as an extra manipulative.

As children finish retelling the story, I thought it would be fun for them to place the gingerbread man inside the fox’s mouth, to tell the version where the cookie is eaten, then hold the gingerbread man and have him scamper off, to explain that he escapes in the other story.

For extra pizzazz, I used white puffy paint to add realistic-lookig "frosting" to the gingerbread man.

My students absolutely love this "finishing touch", which really adds to the "way cool" cuteness factor.

For writing practice, have students complete the extra “last” page, where children circle the ending they liked best, then explain why.

To check comprehension & further reinforce the sequence of the story, older students can explain “What Happened?”on the writing prompt worksheet.

When everyone's done, have children pick a partner and take turns telling the story of “The Gingerbread Man” to each other. We sometimes do this sort of thing with our older reading buddies.